Current News from the Kansas Authors Club

Writing News from Member Duane L. Herrmann

6/30/2025

Member Duane L. Herrmann from Topeka shares some of his publication successes for the month of June.

Let's hear from some more members! Send us your success stories. Submit them here.

105 Meadowlark Reader, #9 - Was it Luck?

Listen and Be Heard – three poems: Not As White, Ashes and Bones, & Two Sides of Me

Text to Power Telling - That Night

Harnisch Acre - two poems: Those Who, & Necessary Darkness

Heron Clan XII - Arsenic is Free, p.66

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Congratulations are in Order for Member Sheree L. Wingo

6/13/2025

Sheree L. Wingo is now the assistant editor/staff writer/office manager of the St. Francis Herald/Bird City Times newspaper in Cheyenne County. She writes and photographs most of the newspaper.

Sheree says, "This a dream come true job!!"

CONGRATULATIONS, Sheree!

from your friends and fellow writers at
Kansas Authors Club.

Member Iris Craver Published in Poems for Peace Anthology

6/4/2025

One of Iris Craver's poems, "The Kitchen Table", was recently selected for publication in the first Poets for Peace anthology, which includes peace poems from over 170 poets who have contributed to this endeavor to celebrate peace and a better world for all people. This book represents a positive step toward fulfilling our universal need for a world where loving kindness and respect replace violence and aggression. Poets know that words have power, and poetry is a sturdy vehicle to influence how people think about the world and the future of this planet that is our home. Poets for Peace was created in June 2024 following a presentation by Ihor Pavlyuk, the People's Poet of Ukraine, at the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS) Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Pavlyuk is a highly respected poet and was nominated this year for the Nobel Prize in Literature. As an orphan himself, he is highly motivated to help orphans, and he inspired the audience to aid his efforts. After the convention, Poets for Peace was created as a vehicle to help gather resources to help foster peace and provide some assistance to Ukraine's orphans. All proceeds from the creation and sales of this book will go directly to help the ever-growing number of orphans in Ukraine.

You can order a copy at
https://www.amazon.com/Poets-Peace-Sunflowers-Rising-Anthology/dp/B0F99G1VH7

Member Writing News from Paula Nixon

5/30/2025

Paula's essay "Alaskan Migrations" won first place in the nonfiction category of SouthWest Writers 2024 annual contest and was published in the anthology Mosaic Voices.

"Alaskan Migrations" also won first place in its category at the New Mexico Press Women's annual writing contest.

Member News from Annette Billings

5/7/2025

Member Annette Billings presented Mother Song: A Poem Play by Daughters, with Dr. Jennifer J. Gordon, at Lowman United Methodist Church in Topeka on May 4th.

The pair read poems about mothers experiencing grief and ways to overcome it. View the story as covered by WIBW, Channel 13, Topeka.

Congratulations to the Kansas Authors Club Members Published in the Ninth Issue of 105 Meadowlark Reader

4/21/2025

Issue #9, the Luck issue, of 105 Meadowlark Reader has stories taking place in 31 Kansas counties and features 30 authors.

Eleven stories in this issue are by authors new to 105.

This issue will be available for purchase in Kansas independent boosktores and via the Meadowlark website in May 2025.

Kansas Authors Club members with essays in the Spring 2025 issue are:

Boyd Bauman
Brian Daldorph
Beth Gulley
Roger Heineken
Jerilynn Jones Henrikson
Duane L. Herrmann
Vicki L. Julian
Amy Kliewer
Kerry Moyer
Robert W. Phillips
Robert Rebein
Cynthia C. Schaker
Mason Taylor-Taite
Alicia Troike
Brenda L. White
Sheree L. Wingo

About 105 Meadowlark Reader

Meadowlark Reader Submission Calendar

Open Reading Period for Issue #10
May 1 - June 30, 2025
Theme: Work

Read the Guidelines Before Submitting

Member News from Cynthia Chauhan

2/25/2025

Member Cynthia Chauhan, from Wichita, recently had an article published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. The article is titled, "Heart Failrue in Patients with Cancer--A Patient's Perspective."

Heart Failure in Patients with Cancer – A Patient's Perspective
Chauhan, Cynthia
Journal of Cardiac Failure, Volume 31, Issue 2, 464

January Book News from Member Duane L. Herrmann

2/17/2025

Jan '25 progress:

Spillwords, posted one poem - "Who am I Today"

'Abdu'l-Baha: Serving Humanity - includes three stories (one in English for the first time)

Vixen of Verse - posted a link to his work originally posted on The Short of It

Harnisch Acres - short story about a boy finding a snake in the shower, in the basement.

Plus a few things accepted for future publication.

And, Please, PLEASE everyone, vote for his sci fi novel, Earth to Makana. It now needs less than 950 votes before the publisher will offer a contract to publish. The link to vote is: ‘Earth to Makana: the Journal of a Planetary Pioneer’ By Duane L Herrmann | Something or Other Publishing, LLC

Member News from D.A. Chadwick

2/17/2025

In June of 2021 I was interviewed for Belgian television.

The documentary by Charles Antoine de Rouvre on Soeur Sourire was broadcasted on June 11th at 9pm on Belgium TV for Zeta Productions. "Qui a tue voix de Dieu?" (Who Killed the Voice of God?")

I was interviewed for this program regarding my book, "Soeur Sourire: The Life and Death of the Singing Nun".

It was during Covid-19 restrictions, so RTBF sent a cameraman to my house who did all the video and audio. Aaron Chervenak was very gracious and professional.

I have also been interviewed or consulted on numerous projects on Soeur Sourire, including the CD from Music Choice of Germany entitled, "The Best of Soeur Sourire".

Mark G. Wentling Hall of Fame Induction and Watermark Books Event

1/31/2025

Member Mark G. Wentling will be inducted into WSU's Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame on February 4 at 2 p.m. in Wiederman Hall. He will also hold a book event at Watermark Books and Cafe located at 4701 E. Douglas at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb 6. Mark's two recent books, Jackleg Boys and Falling Seven Times will be available.

Event at Watermark Books

Fairmount College Hall of Fame

Member News from Peg Nichols: KPR Presents on Kansas Day

1/24/2025

This afternoon at the KPR studio in Lawrence Kaye McIntyre recorded me reading my poem, Armistice, from To The Stars Through Difficulties: A Kansas Renga in 150 Voices. Plus a short bit about what inspired to me write the poem.

Kaye will use the recording in a Kansas Day program, KPR Presents, FM 91.5, at 6-7 PM on Sunday, January 26.

A Kansas Renga was the second book Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, then Kansas Poet Laureate, created and edited, for the Kansas Sesquicentennial in 2011. The first book was Begin Again: 150 Kansas Poems.
I told Kaye I felt so honored. Poetry is not really my genre.

Thanks for reading, Peg Nichols

Congratulations, Peg!

We will tune in to KPR on Kansas Day!

Grant Overstake Receives National Recognition for Audiobook

1/22/2025

The original full cast audio drama, The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline, has been named a finalist for the prestigious 2025 Audie Awards, presented by the Audio Publishers Association (APA).
Often called the “Oscars of the audiobook industry,” the Audie Awards honor the highest achievements in audio storytelling. The inclusion of TJ Crowley among this year’s finalists in the Young Adult category places this independently created and published work on the same top shelf as productions from major publishing houses like Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster.

“This recognition underscores that excellence in storytelling and production is not limited to big-budget publishers. It can be achieved with passion, collaboration, and a bold vision, and the support of a distributor like Blackstone Publishing,” said Grant Overstake, executive producer and co-author.

The audio drama, adapted from Overstake’s award-winning novel, captures the suspenseful and poignant story of a young white boy from a broken family growing up in 1968 Wichita amidst the turmoil of the Civil Rights era. When his world is upended by the arrival of a Black family next door, TJ must confront his inherited prejudices, leading him on a harrowing, transformative journey.

This groundbreaking project was made possible through the generous support of The Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and individual contributors. Fiscal sponsorship was provided by the Youth Educational Empowerment Program, ensuring the project could achieve its vision as an arts-driven initiative that engages and educates through storytelling.

The production, a collaborative effort by Overstake and acclaimed producer/director May Wuthrich, features a stellar ensemble cast of multi-award-winning actors led by Dani Martineck as TJ. The cast includes co-producers Dion Graham and Tavia Gilbert, as well as Johnny Heller, Shayna Small, Michael Crouch, Kirby Heyborne, Ari Fliakos, Kevin R. Free, Graham Halstead, Thérèse Plummer, Brittany Pressley, Peter Berkrot, John Wright, and Sheila Brown Kinnard.

John Marshall Media’s Cameron Potts, who produced with Wuthrich, led the effort to create an immersive soundscape that added texture and context, evoking the social and political climate of the time. Further enhancing the production are stirring performances of Negro spirituals by the ARISE Ensemble, a Wichita-based multicultural choir.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work and passion of everyone involved, and we’re incredibly grateful for their dedication to producing something special,” said Wuthrich. "We set out to create a listening experience that would not only entertain but educate and inspire."

Finalists are selected by a panel of industry experts who evaluate productions based on overall quality, narration, sound design, and impact.

The winners of the 2025 Audie Awards will be announced at a gala ceremony in New York City on March 25.

Grant Overstake is a member of Kansas Authors Club from Wichita. The Real Education of TJ Crowley won the 2019 J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award and the 2019 "It Looks Like a Million" Design Award from the Kansas Authors Club.

Member News from Duane L. Herrmann

1/11/2025

In the month of December, Duane had two responses posted to the weekly prompts of the Adirondack Center for Writing, a poem (Summer Pleasure?) posted by Written Tales, two stories posted by Chewers (words that need to be carefully savored), and he found three of his poems posted on the Green Acre Archives.

Duane is a member from Topeka.

If you have news of writing events that would be of interest to all Kansas Authors Club members, or if you are a member (dues current) who would like to announce an achievement, please submit your news via this form.

Member News from Barbara A. Meier

1/11/2025

Barbara A Meier’s poem “Day of the Grizzly Dead” was nominated for Best of the Net by Mersey Review. (Issue 2 Spring 2024) Her poem “The Skunk at Ennis Riffle” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by The Green Silk Journal. (Spring issue 2024).

Barbara is a Kansas Authors Club member from Lincoln, Kansas.

Congratulations, Barbara!

Member News: Barbara Brady

12/18/2024

Member Barbara Brady, Topeka, recently had two stories re-published in Chicken for the Soul books: Chicken Soup for the Young at Heart and Devotional Stories of Resilience and Positive Thinking.

Publishing News from Member Mark Scheel

12/10/2024

I was deeply honored to have my poem "Soldier's Christmas" given the featured spot on Spillwords.com today. I'm so grateful to the editor Dagmara K. for giving my work this exposure. Here's the link:
https://spillwords.com/soldiers-christmas/

Hope you are all having a blessed holiday season.

Warmest wishes,

Mark

https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/mark_scheel
author of The Potter's Wheel

author of Star Chaser

author of And Eve Said Yes: Seven Stories and a Novella
author of A Backward View: Stories and Poems

former prose editor Kansas City Voices magazine
recipient of the J. Donald Coffin Memorial Book Award
recipient of the Nostalgia Poetry Award

Publishing News from Member Duane L. Herrmann

12/10/2024

November Writing News

A memoir, entitled "Gift Conspiracy" was published in 105 Meadowlark Reader, #8. Three short stories: "Devon Tried," "The Family House," and "Foreign Found Home," were published online in: Chewers, MasticadoresUSA and the anthology: Catching Lightening Bugs in a Jar. And six poems were published in five places: "We Are All God's Poems," in an anthology of the same title; "Farm Work" in Craigardan #9, "Homestead Reflections" in Poetry Festival, "That One Night" was reprinted on the site: Truth Power Telling, and Wishbone Words posted "Mind vs Brain" and "Swinging Time." And, Duane learned an anthology, entitled: Cadence, in which he has three poems, is a finalist for the American Writing Awards. His short story: "Missing Mother," has been nominated for Best of the Net, and his poem: "Standing Alone," published in Trees and Me, has been nominated for a Pushcart. He is amazed!!!

Congratulations, Duane!

Member Writing News from Duane L. Herrmann

11/4/2024

In October, a short story by Duane L. Herrmann, "Child's Work," was posted on MasticadoresUSA, and a short memoir, "Haunted Ruins," was posted by the Adirondack Center for Writing. A poem, "Lonely School," was published in, Rushing Through the Dark, by Choeofpleirn Press, another, "How to Eat a Book," was published by Bookends Review, and six were posted at The Short of It/I Write Her.

Congratulations, Duane!

September Publishing News from Duane L. Herrmann

10/25/2024

In September 2024 Spillwords, Bookends Rev, and Poetry Festival each posted one poem. King Fisher Poetry Forum 2 posted three, and The Literary Yard posted five. The anthologies: Speak Easy Poets printed three poems, Minute Musings published two, and Gathering Poetry published one. The Adirondack Center for Writing posted his response to a weekly prompt. Funds for Writers posted an account of the life of his story, 'Missing Mother,' that has been nominated for: 'Best of the Net.' The summer issue of The Harnisch Acre published his short short story: 'Secret in Time,' and Canvas Rebel posted an interview with Herrmann.

Writing News from Member Barbara Meier

10/25/2024

Barbara Meier from Lincoln, Kansas sends the following report:

Five poems published this week! (October 15, 2024)THE MUSEUM OF AMERICANA: A LITERARY REVIEW published my poem "The Sultan Of Storms" in issue 34. Dark Winter Press and Literary Magazine published three of my poems.The Swallows of Shady Bend; Reconciliation of the Dead; Peony Haiku. Finally Beach Chair Press, Issue 4, published my poem "Moonshadow Blue Jeans". It was a good week!

Congratulations, Barbara!

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CONGRATULATIONS, Sheree!

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